Swearengin seemed unbowed by that news, saying that Forest City had a great plan, but not the only plan for rejuvenating downtown. She said she sees a series of small changes as being more effective in the long run than a major project.

During Monday's meeting, many of those changes were listed for the room full of business owners and residents. Swearengin said the meeting, originally envisioned as a closed-door briefing for the new mayor, had instead become a public review of how downtown Fresno will change in the next 12 months.

"I hope you all leave here knowing exactly what needs to be done in the year, and know what we will be following up on," Swearengin said.